A FORMER Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Chairman is to stand down from local politics.
Councillor Chris Smyth, the Ulster Unionist councillor for Omagh Town, is to stand down from local politics following being offered an academic position at a university in England.
Councillor Smyth recently passed his final examination at Ulster University for his PhD, known as a VIVA, for his work into using Structural Equation Modelling techniques to investigate the mental health of the UK population.
Speaking after he announced his decision to leave the Council, Councillor Smyth said that he will be stepping down from the Council effective from August 4 as he felt that it was important to continue his research, and to train the next generation of psychologists, especially given the effects of the pandemic.
He has contacted his party leader, Doug Beattie MC MLA, and successor selection procedures were at an advanced stage, but have not been completed yet.
Councillor Smyth has said that his heart would always be in Tyrone, and that he would certainly be no stranger to Omagh, which he has represented since he was 21 years old, but that it would not be possible to represent his constituents while also working in psychology.
He said: “As a result, I found myself at a crossroads, and after long deliberation with friends and colleagues, I believe that at the moment, my path lies in psychology.
“I will use the rest of my time in the Council to try and tie up some constituency issues in the town which I have been working on, and hopefully give my successor a clean in-tray when they take over.
“My time in the Council has been extraordinary, and while we, as a council, have been involved in some massive projects over the past few years, I have personally found the most rewarding experiences to be the little acts which made the experience so worthwhile.
“My party colleagues have become friends, and I will miss them as I enter this new chapter of my life.”
Looking to the future, he said: “My party has seen a bit of an upsurge in recent months, and I am confident that I leave a seat in good health to my successor, and that they will represent the people of Omagh with the zeal, dedication and commitment with which I have strived to do so.”